Dame Agatha Christie Trail

trees. Ignore this as you can continue on the path towards a new stile albeit the path is very narrow. Having climbed the stile head in a diagonal direction across the field.You will eventually come to a stile which will bring you onto a road. Cross the road carefully and go down the gravel path to-

Continue down the road until you come to a roundabout on the Wallingford bypass. Turn right where almost immediately you will come across another roundabout. Follow the sign to Wallingford. You will soon find familiar landmarks you have previously seen.

Dame Agatha

MARKET PLACE

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St Mary’s Church, Cholsey. If the church is locked then do take some time to look round the outside. Go to the back of the church where you will see on next to a wall on your left -

ST. MAR Y;S STR EET

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WINTERBROOK HOUSE WINTERBROOK LANE

6 The grave of Dame Agatha

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Christie under her married name of Mallowan. You can’t miss it as it is one of the most impressive graves in the churchyard.

To return to Wallingford you have a choice – return to the road and either go back the way you came or turn right and follow the road into Cholsey. At the first mini roundabout turn left (it is signposted to Wallingford). You will go past the Red Lion public house where you can take refreshment. Designed & Printed by Albry Printing Co, Wallingford. T: 01491 836282

www.wallingford.co.uk

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This project is being part financed by South Oxfordshire District Council and South East England Development Agency. Produced by Wallingford Partnership Limited

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Christie Trail

PERSONAL DETAILS ABOUT DAME AGATHA CHRISTIE AME Agatha Christie DBE CBE was born Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller on 15 September 1890 in Torquay, Devon. She was the daughter of Clarissa Boehmer and Frederick Miller, an American stockbroker. Agatha was the youngest of three. Her siblings were Margaret Frary Miller, called Madge who was eleven years her senior and Louis Montant Miller called Monty who was ten years her senior.

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During the First World War she worked as a nurse in a hospital which she thoroughly enjoyed. She later worked in a hospital pharmacy which gave her a working knowledge of poisons. Despite a turbulent courtship Agatha married Archibald Christie, an aviator in the Royal Flying Corps, on Christmas Eve 1914.The couple had one daughter, Rosalind. In late 1926 Archbald said that he was in love with another woman and he wanted a divorce. In December of that year, after a quarrel, Agatha ‘disappeared’ for 11 days.The story made headline news in the papers. Eventually she was discovered in a hotel in Harrogate registered under the name of Mrs Teresa Neele. Agatha and Archibald were divorced in 1928. In 1930 Agatha married archaeologist Max Mallowan. The marriage was especially happy and remained so until her death. She joined him on archaeological digs in the Middle Eastwhich formed the background for several of her novels. Agatha Christie is the best selling writer of books of all time. Only the Bible has sold more than the four billion copies of her novels. She was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1971 three years after her husband had been knighted for his archaeological work. Dame Agatha Christie died at her Winterbrook house on 12 January 1976 and is buried in the churchyard of St Mary’s, Cholsey.

Begin your walk in the Market Place 1 With your back to the Town Information Centre look right where you will see the Corn Exchange which was built in 1856. Its original purpose is denoted by the carved decoration over the lintel. It is now the home of the Sinodun Players an amateur theatrical group. Dame Agatha was their president from 1951- 1976.

www.wallingford.co.uk

You may wish to have refreshment here. After leaving the Corn Exchange turn left down St Mary’s Street.You will see the old Alms Houses on your left which were built in 1681. On the right is St John’s Green where the road becomes the Reading Road. You will then pass the Wallingford Community Hospital on your right and cross over Bradford’s Brook.

2 Not very far from the brook is Winterbrook House to your left where Agatha Christie and Max Mallowan lived from 1934-1976. There is now a blue plaque on the house. The house is not easy to see as there is a large hedge round it. Agatha used to say that ‘it was very close to the main road.’ 3

Almost opposite on your right is Winterbrook Lane. Go down it. The lane eventually becomes a gravel path. Continue on until you shortly arrive at the Wallingford bypass. Cross the road carefully to the gravel path opposite. Go down the path until you reach-

4 The railway line known as the ‘Bunk’. Cross the line very carefully after checking both ways for trains.Trains do not regularly run nowadays but the line can be busy at certain times of the year particularly at holiday times. Having crossed to the other side of the line go through the white gates and turn immediately to your left and follow the waymarked path which is running parallel to the railway line. After a mile or so and several stiles later you will come a place where the path appears to be curving to the right and taking you towards a copse of